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Summary: Bought my first EV in DC and drove it back to Denver using 18 Superchargers traveling 2,100 miles over 4 days with snow and some strong headwinds.

I primarily used Tesla Inventory Search to search for available cars, thanks @DÆrik. My car came up on CPO list one evening and had it ordered the next day. I had already been working with a delivery specialist deciding between a few other cars for over a week and this one had a lot of features I liked. I figured a one way flight and a few days driving it back would teach me a lot that I wasn’t able to learn from TMC and I could save the shipping fee. I got a call about a week later that it would be ready in a week instead of the about 4 weeks I was originally told. I had a trip already scheduled in New York, so I just dropped my return flight and scheduled to just pick it up and drive it back. The bigger issue I had was cashing out some of my TSLA stock in time, even more so now that I missed the huge run-up lately.

Here are Details of the trip:
0. Drove rental car from Syracuse NY to Tysons Corner. Dropped off luggage in waiting area of Tesla Service Center and dropped of rental car a block away and walked back to Tesla.

1. Left Tysons Corner Tesla Service Center at 4:30PM on a weekday to sit in DC slow traffic. Trip planner said I could make it directly to Somerset Supercharger (169 miles) so I started that way with 230 Rated Miles. This is not what evtripplaner told me when I planned the route beforehand. Since traffic was already looking poor on the maps and I figured I could re-route to Hagerstown if it showed I couldn’t make it. I started towards Somerset. Along route the navigation said I couldn’t make without reducing speed so I just rerouted to my original plan to Hagerstown Supercharger. Along the way I had to brake hard. My car took way longer than I expected to stop. With new tires and I’m not sure if they did anything to the brakes but it didn’t stop quickly. I was able to stop in time but it was closer than I wanted. I tried stopping in a parking lot and tried the brakes a few times and they felt good so the brakes may have been just needed the good bedding.

2. Hagerstown Supercharger. First time supercharging. One other model S was charging and I didn’t catch the stall number. Sure enough I get the paired stall and my charging speed of ~40kW reflects this. I move over one stall and get a good 90kW. I call home and car is ready before I finish the call in 10 minutes. I talked with other owner briefly then head on my way. He ended up passing me shortly before Somerset.

3. Somerset Supercharger. This charger was more difficult to locate than the Hagerstown. It is hidden behind Wendy’s. The person that was at previous charger was just getting out and we ended up walking across street to Starbucks and talked while the cars charged. My phone app also started recognizing the car now. It was close to 10PM when the cars were more than ready. With the light snow and expecting another hour and half driving to the next charger I grabbed hotel for the night. Car lost only 3 rated miles overnight so I left Somerset without charging.

Day 2

4. Triadelphia Supercharger. Left right after 6AM from Somerset, it was in the low teens and it was still blowing a little snow around. Needed a big 221 rated miles charge for next leg so I stayed for quite a while in Triadelphia. Stores were a little too far to walk to and it was a little too early, plus the weather was just cold with the wind so I just stayed in hotel and car while waiting.

5. Grove City Supercharger. Getting to Grove City took quite a while. 2 hours stopped on the interstate due to an accident. While waiting I saw a news car go by on the shoulder so I looked up their station on the browser and saw pictures of the accident. Only lost about 5 rated miles in the 2 hours playing with music and web browser in the car. Getting to Grove City was pretty easy as the weather warmed a little and it stopped blowing and snowing. I did arrive with just under 20 rated miles. The last few miles the navigation was sending me on a route that didn’t seem too quick but may have been somewhat shorter in distance. There was an X and an S charging and 2 X’s where there when I left. The first charger I tried to connect to didn’t work so I moved over to its pair (#4) which had a different handle than the first and it worked fine. I walked about 15 minutes to a pretty good Mexican Restaurant and got back as the car hit 90% full. The car was suggesting to skip Dayton Supercharger but I kind of new I would probably need to stop there anyway.

6. Dayton Supercharger. Sure enough as soon as I got moving I got the message to keep it under 65MPH to make it to Indianapolis so of course I speed up and went to Dayton. I had enough to make it to Terre Haute, IN but knew I would end up stopping in Indianapolis to decide on new changes to my plans as there wasn’t any way to make it to Colorado without either driving all night or stopping for at least 2 nights of sleep. I was almost 4 hours behind my original plan thanks to the accident and DC traffic.

7. Indianapolis Supercharger. After talking with my family at home we decided I would go up to our relatives in Northern Illinois and pickup up a large object that we never before had enough space to bring back to Colorado. Plus, I wouldn’t have to pay for an extra hotel, I would be doing my own @Bjorn Nimber like task and would be able to show off the car to some family members. Instead of going through Chicago traffic on a Friday Night I went up the central Illinois route. Also, I noticed when planning with route planner the estimated time at Superchargers is your local time, not the local time at the Supercharger.

8. Champaign, IL Supercharger. This was a longer leg where I actually started seeing the power limiting lines. I think I arrived with around 10 rated miles remaining. Lots around this charger and I had dinner while I waited. I had enough charge when I just got served my food.

9. Peru, IL Supercharger. I was able to skip Bloomington/Normal Supercharger as it is downtown and a little more off route then all my previous stops and I was able to get plenty in Champaign.

Day 3

10. Rockford Supercharger. Car spent night in relative’s garage sipping 110V and gained 15 miles in the 6 hours I was there. Short drive to supercharger early in morning to fill up and off to some secondary highways to pick up my “Nimber” task. Weather forecasts were not looking good as they were expecting more than 6 inches of snow. No other cars charging.

11. Davenport Supercharger. Once again navigation sent me on some strange roads. After this leg I started using my phone navigation as a check. I also had problems plugging in but moving one spot over worked fine. I didn’t even leave car as this was a quick need of only a 100 Rated miles. No other cars charging.

12. Coralville Supercharger. The snow was starting to piling up on the road when I arrived in Coralville (Iowa City). There was about 2 inches of snow in the parking lot and it was snowing enough to set off the parking warning sensors. No other Tesla’s present. While charging I showed the car to some more relatives that I arranged to stop by. I also figured out where to turn the tone off in parking sensor settings. I wasn’t able to take them for a ride as traffic was starting just creeping around with the new snow and I still had a lot of driving left and I didn’t know how much the weather would slow me down. The Tesla was very sure footed in the snow even with only all season tires on. Luckily within 50 miles after Coralville the snow had stopped and most of the interstate was clear the rest of the day.

13. Des Moines Supercharger. There was still snow in the parking lot and the side streets to this HyVee. One other Model S charging. I ended up eating inside HyVee instead of trekking to any restaurants that were close. Navigation was directing me through supercharger near Omaha to go south (Nebraska’s chargers were not online yet). It never suggested Kansas City charger and I knew that leg would be a stretch from my pre-planning especially in cold snowy conditions. But road signs and Waze were both saying the I-80 was closed west of Des Moines due to an accident. Navigation was also showing red. By the time I had enough charge I headed west towards the accident location. I had already planned a couple of ways around it on secondary highways but by time I was close I could tell on traffic map the accident was cleared up.

14. Council Bluffs Supercharger (Omaha). I should have waited to eat here as there were a lot more choices than in Des Moines, plus I had the longest wait so far for the supercharger to get over 95%. One other Model S was charging there and owner was walking away as I pulled in.

15. Topeka Supercharger. Soon after leaving Council Bluffs on I-29S I get a warning about slowing down to 65mph to make it to my destination. I slowed down a little and projected trip was still showing I would be short. I turned onto the secondary highway as the navigation recommended with a lower speed limit and my projected range started to increase without slowing below the speed limit. Not sure why navigation didn’t take into account lower consumption later. Maybe there was more wind then I saw on weather maps. I did arrive in Topeka with less than 15 miles of rated range though. I ended up sleeping here for the night after charging to 90% rated. Lots of hotels around. No other Tesla’s charging and I waited in car for the charging as most everything was closed. Once again getting a preheating car with app was great and no need to charge in morning.

Day 4

16. Salina Supercharger. Not much around this charger sitting at a Holiday Inn. There were a couple of restaurants about 10 minute walk but I just waited for the charging by car. There was another Model S in a stall that left shortly after I arrived.

17. Hayes Supercharger. Same Model 90D S as in Salina was already charging. I walked to Wendy’s for some breakfast and then picked up some cleaning supplies and a couple of Hot Wheels’ Model S’s in Walmart. Once again I charged up to 95% - that top end charging is really slow.

18. Goodland Supercharger. I made it but did end up drafting behind a truck. I wasn’t tailgating but still could tell driving behind him was helping the mileage. Weather was fairly windy and some blowing snow. Arriving in Goodland I see the same Model S. At the charger the weather was starting to get nice again and the wind was dying down.

19. Limon Supercharger. Same Model 90D S was there. Got some fries at the Arby's and I talked with the other driver for a while. Once again the route from navigation was different than what I would have normally taken but looked interesting so I followed it. It was fun with some twisty spots.

Issues:

Chip in paint on bottom of drivers door was missed by Tesla - they said it probably just happened after prepping -I believed them based on where it was and that other chips were filled in other locations on door.

Getting charger to engage – moved to next stall seemed to solve it but a couple of times it may have been my inexperience.

Large gaps between a some chargers. I needed to slow down, draft or charge very top end to make destination.

Center Console door sticking when trying to opening - found a video explaining to push down slightly.

Navigation paths are stange sometimes.

Snow on parking sensors alerts

App anxiety. I placed the app on wife’s phone - she would call me as soon as I pulled into a charger wondering why I hadn’t called her yet or wondering why I was it cutting it so close with only X miles left.

Garage Parking. Car is wider than I expected when backing through single stall door. I need to fold in mirrors sometimes when I'm not right in center.

In getting title transferred. Buying out of state I had to get it transferred myself and per the DMV the title wasn't signed correctly on their side. After a couple of trips to service center the title was fixed.

Tesla felt the paint chip problem should be handled by a body shop (about ½” long) so I was able to get a loaner. The loaner car they gave me for a week was a P85D ( https://www.tesla.com/preowned/5YJSA1H24FFP67300 ) so I was able to see what I was missing in my pre-autopilot car.

Of all things different the NextGen seats were the most desirable.

Seats - Front next gen seats were better in comfort

Seats - Back next gen seats with side bolsters were a lot more comfortable than classic ones. Although they did not fold flat. There was about a 2” lip on the back when they were folded.

Air Suspension - Very nice in comparison to standard springs in my car. Makes it a lot smoother even in sport settings.

Warning of cars stopping ahead. The car in front of me stopped short and there were chimes warning of this, even without autopilot enabled.

The now discontinued silver color was very nice.

Dual motors - it did snow while I had the car and it was a lot more sure footed then my classic car, especially taking off in an insane fashion.

Insane mode - definitely quicker than standard P85

Premium sound sounded worse than my standard sound. It was more muddled but perhaps the tweeters were blown.

Congrats on the purchase and the successful trip! It looks like you took your time and didn't rush. I live just a few miles from the Tysons corner service center where you picked up your car. Leaving around 6am I was able to make it to Rockford, IL (just west of Chicago) in a single day in the summer. I've also done the reverse from Northbrook (northern suburbs of Chicago) back to DC in a single day during the winter.

As you discovered, trip planner has a few flaws. One of them is using the 15-mile average power consumption to forecast if you can make your destination. If you leave your current supercharger right when trip planner says you've charged enough, you will discover that because your energy use for the first 15 miles of the next leg are likely much higher than the average of the last 15 miles of the previous segment due to pack and car warming that you'll immediately get slow down warnings. I generally ignore these.

Instead, I keep the trip planner energy graph up on the center console. This is very accurate. I aim to keep between 5-10% energy remaining when I reach the next SuC, and I don't worry about the first 15 miles.

My wife has been very nervous at times with my technique. Ignoring messages that say slow down or you're screwed can be disturbing, but we have yet to run out of juice. We have arrived several times with single digit rated miles, though

Love it. One question though. I'm still months out before I hope to pull the trigger but am hoping to do much the same thing. I thought destination chargers at hotels would prominently figure in but you don't even mention them. Are they not yet ubiquitous enough to answer the need?

Love it. One question though. I'm still months out before I hope to pull the trigger but am hoping to do much the same thing. I thought destination chargers at hotels would prominently figure in but you don't even mention them. Are they not yet ubiquitous enough to answer the need?

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I can give my answer to this -- OP may have a different experience.

Destination chargers are fine if they happen to match up with where you need to stop. Travelling by yourself, and with weather and traffic changes to plans, I usually don't try to plan far enough in advance, as you will end up missing a stop or trying to drive well into the night trying to make it to a pre-booked hotel.

Also, in general, destination chargers are often at "nicer" hotels than I usually stay at on a road trip. I'm looking for a bed and a shower, and many of the destination hotels are high-end places. That's fine if you are travelling with others that want more amenities, but not really necessary on a get-from-here-to-there trip.

With the proliferation of Superchargers along main routes, destination chargers are not as important. The only time you are saving is perhaps one Supercharger stop, and that isn't much in the grand scheme. Especially if it means having to drive longer in a day, or sometimes stopping before you are ready.

I am surprised your p85 actually had warning at all. Without the front radar how does out know? Maybe someone else here can clarify.

Also thanks for the feedback on sound system and air suspension. Many have said the coil is better and I have yet to drive in one. As for the sound totally agreed. It is worst but I do have to admit the subwoofer is help with the bass. But then again I hear the newer cars have much better sound compared to the older UHFS. I am still wait for light harmonics to release the subwoofer and the install video. Getting the original speakers replaced was easy enough. But getting the signalling and power to the rear end maybe a bit more difficult.

No, I did not purposely balance my cells. I picked it up and started driving home right away. I've got to about 96% once, based on what @Bjorn was saying in video my batteries are probably fairly balanced already as my 90-96% didn't take too long. My 90% at home is getting 221 Rated Miles.

Destination chargers are fine if they happen to match up with where you need to stop. Travelling by yourself, and with weather and traffic changes to plans, I usually don't try to plan far enough in advance, as you will end up missing a stop or trying to drive well into the night trying to make it to a pre-booked hotel.

Also, in general, destination chargers are often at "nicer" hotels than I usually stay at on a road trip. I'm looking for a bed and a shower, and many of the destination hotels are high-end places. That's fine if you are travelling with others that want more amenities, but not really necessary on a get-from-here-to-there trip.

With the proliferation of Superchargers along main routes, destination chargers are not as important. The only time you are saving is perhaps one Supercharger stop, and that isn't much in the grand scheme. Especially if it means having to drive longer in a day, or sometimes stopping before you are ready.

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Yes, I agree with what you stated. I looked into destination chargers and was originally going to stop in middle of Missouri at one but after looking up price of hotel I decided against it. The two hotels I stayed at were $110-130 a night. The destination hotels saw were $160+. When traveling with family I usually pre-book stops. Usually we travel during holidays when it is a lot busier. I think destination chargers are more useful if you stay in one area for a couple of days. My original plan was to just sleep in car when charging but my wife nixed that idea. I do have dual charges (P85) but have yet to use them.

I am surprised your p85 actually had warning at all. Without the front radar how does out know? Maybe someone else here can clarify.

Also thanks for the feedback on sound system and air suspension. Many have said the coil is better and I have yet to drive in one.

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The loaner P85D with forward radar gave me the warning for cars ahead. The warnings I was getting for the snow was from the parking sensors.
Even though I thought the ride was smother in air suspension, I am glad I got coils from a future maintenance prospective

Given that you were in some cold and windy weather, what was your longest segment between charges. I'm getting the same capacity battery, although in a 2015 D.

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Longest leg was 151 actual miles, I also had 3 x 140 mile legs. I had notes from Evtripplanner on how many Rated Miles were needed with 110% velocity, 20F external temp and +10MPH head wind in its calculations. This would usually give about a 15-20% buffer in car's trip planner.

That would indicate a 100% charge range of 245 miles. By rated I assume you mean EPA? Isn't that kind of low? Doesn't Tesla advertise 265 mile EPA for the S85? It shouldn't have lost that much range in just two plus years, should it? That would be a loss of about 7%. I was hoping it wouldn't be so bad after two years. Should I expect a range loss on 3% in my to-be-delivered 2015 CPO?

That would indicate a 100% charge range of 245 miles. By rated I assume you mean EPA? Isn't that kind of low? Doesn't Tesla advertise 265 mile EPA for the S85? It shouldn't have lost that much range in just two plus years, should it? That would be a loss of about 7%. I was hoping it wouldn't be so bad after two years. Should I expect a range loss on 3% in my to-be-delivered 2015 CPO?

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I must have remembered wrong number. Instead of 221 I should have wrote [email protected]% which matches where it is currently sitting at 188 RM @ 73% ~= 258RM @ 100% which is <3% loss from 265.

For the backing in to be easier, line the car up perfectly, then put a couple of tape lines on the floor of the garage to line up with the camera lines. You'll know right away if you're lined up properly or not.

For the backing in to be easier, line the car up perfectly, then put a couple of tape lines on the floor of the garage to line up with the camera lines. You'll know right away if you're lined up properly or not.